The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Task Force SAFE filed Wednesday a petition for disqualification against lawyer Christian "Ian" Sia, who is running for Pasig lone district representative in Eleksyon 2025, for allegedly violating the poll body's anti-discrimination rules.
Task Force SAFE, or Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections, lodged the motu propio petition, which seeks the disqualification of Sia from the upcoming elections and the suspension of his proclamation in case he wins.
Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, who heads the task force, told reporters, "The Task Force SAFE has filed its first petition for disqualification against Christian Sia, who is a candidate for the member of the House of Representatives for the lone legislative district of Pasig City."
"This is a motu propio petition for disqualification filed by the Comelec through the task force... We conducted our investigation, we issued the show-cause orders, and for both SCOs, we considered his answer and based on the submissions, we prepared this petition for disqualification," Wee-Lozada said, adding that, "Both show-cause orders and both answers were considered in this petition."
"Since it is a petition for disqualification kasama na ang pag-disqualify kay candidate Sia (Since it is a petition for disqualification for candidate Sia) and, of course, in case the petition remains undecided or unresolved by the time of the elections because we are less than a month away, we also requested for the suspension of his proclamation if ever he wins," Wee-Lozada said.
The task force found that Sia violated Comelec Resolution 11116 or the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines. This is the first such case lodged by the Comelec against a candidate in relation to this resolution.
The Comelec earlier issued its first SCO against Sia after he said during a campaign sortie that single mothers who still have their monthly period and who are lonely may sleep with him once a year.
He was slapped with a second SCO over his alleged misogynistic remarks against one of his female staff members during a campaign sortie for Eleksyon 2025.
In response, Sia has apologized for his statement, but said in his response to the first SCO that his remarks about single mothers did not violate or discriminate against women and that his "speech, in its entirety, falls within my freedom of speech."
Violations
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the taskforce filed the disqualification petition against Sia for violating Comelec Resolutions 11116 and 11127, and Section 261 (e) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), which prohibits threats, intimidation, terrorism, use of fraudulent device or other forms of coercion during campaign.
Laudiangco also said if the candidate is disqualified and decides to elevate his case to the Supreme Court, the poll body will implement its decision without a temporary restraining order five days after the Comelec ruling. Their votes will be considered stray.
"Sumunod sa lahat ng Comelec rules and regulations. Sumunod sa lahat ng election laws…Kung di masasampahan ng disqualification petition maaari pa itong manganak ng kasong kriminal, election offense," he said.
(Follow our rules and regulations as well as our election laws. The disqualification petition may lead to other cases such as an election offense.)
Sia to answer petition
Sia, for his part, said he will answer the petition once served a copy. However, he disagreed that the penalty for inappropriate jokes should be disqualification, saying the "law and reason does not warrant such an extreme penalty".
"It is basic that the penalty must be commensurate with the offense committed," he said.
"Nevertheless, I support the idea that candidates should be held accountable for the words they utter during their campaign speeches," he added.
Sia also said "if inappropriate jokes during a campaign rally should merit outright disqualification of candidates, more so should the campaign promises left unfulfilled by those candidates who are seeking reelection."
"That’s a graver sin to the voting public," he added.
More cases eyed
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body may also file disqualification cases against other candidates.
"Magpa-file ng disqualification at election offense ang Task Force SAFE laban sa kandidato sa Pasig na sa kanilang palagay ay nag-violate ng anti-discrimination policy. Asahan ng sambayanan na sa susunod na araw pagkatapos ng Semana Santa ay magkakaroon pa ng mga kaso na maifa-file laban sa ibang kandidato," Garcia told Super Radyo dzBB.
(The Task Force SAFE will file the disqualification and election offense against a Pasig bet for violating the anti-discrimination policy. The public may expect other cases to be filed after the Holy Week.)
The Comelec will raffle the case to a Division, which will require Sia to officially and formally file his answer tp the petition through summons. Following his response, the case will be submitted for decision.
Comelec resolutions
ComelecResolution 1116or theAnti-Discriminationand Fair Campaigning Guidelines provides that labeling groups and individuals as terrorists, dissenters, and criminals without evidence is considered an election offense in the 2025 midterm national and local polls.
Theresolutionalso covers acts of bullying anddiscriminationinvolving gender, ethnicity, age, religion, and disabilities, among others.
Earlier, the poll body issued ComelecResolution 11127, which amends Comelec Resolution 11116, to declare all election-related activities and online election-related platforms, including social media, as "safe spaces" for the 2025 national and local elections.
It also now consider child abuse, discrimination, and incitement, immoral doctrines, obscene publications, exhibitions and indecent shows as well as racial discrimination as election offenses. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
